diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 47a6c395db0af7890bb025e21d2785e721169a81..3c720fd417d84b3e84c58b2ec81cbab3492d40d4 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ unreleased (207x-xx-xx)
 
 release/005.010 (2017-10-02)
 
+    [syslog] Add use_logsink_server parameter that allows servers to not
+    send logs to the logsink server. Once everyone is using Splunk, ELK,
+    etc., we will set this default to false. In the meantime, the default
+    is true. [adamhl]
+
     [kerberos] Use three rather than four "kdc" lines in
     /etc/krb5.conf. [adamhl]
 
diff --git a/manifests/syslog/config/rsyslog.pp b/manifests/syslog/config/rsyslog.pp
index b2673eb5633a7c86d24ca59331770d62136dc62a..459f819f50b00db747252041d90e2f4607c2075d 100644
--- a/manifests/syslog/config/rsyslog.pp
+++ b/manifests/syslog/config/rsyslog.pp
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ define base::syslog::config::rsyslog(
   $use_syslog_conf = false,
   $use_default     = true,
   $use_v5          = false,
+  $use_logsink_server = true,
 ) {
 
   if ($use_syslog_conf != 'true' and $use_syslog_conf != true) {
diff --git a/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default-v5.conf.erb b/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default-v5.conf.erb
index 14eee546c50749c89d1e5de1d1b28f7e59d5ddb0..51dfe995ea32cf1dda589c13146accc09bf9e178 100644
--- a/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default-v5.conf.erb
+++ b/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default-v5.conf.erb
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 # Write syslog messages to the normal places locally
 
 *.debug  /var/log/messages;FileFormat
+<%- if (@use_logsink_server) then -%>
 *.debug  @<%= syslog_server %>:514;ForwardFormat
+<%- end -%>
 *.err    /dev/console
 *.emerg  :omusrmsg:*
diff --git a/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default.conf.erb b/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default.conf.erb
index ffb21fd32eb158bdb563b8913fed7469936cd72b..6beda35b60dcd90fc65cf5eaf7a49bfb5d5e48ac 100644
--- a/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default.conf.erb
+++ b/templates/syslog/etc/rsyslog.d/95-default.conf.erb
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
                name     = "defaultLocal"
                file     = "/var/log/messages"
                template = "FileFormat")
+<%- if (@use_logsink_server) then -%>
 *.debug action(type = "omfwd"
                name     = "defaultRemote"
                Target   = "<%= @syslog_server %>"
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@
                queue.TimeoutEnqueue = "0"
                action.ResumeRetryCount = "-1"
                template = "ForwardFormat")
+<%- end -%>
 *.err   action(type = "omfile"
                name = "err"
                file = "/dev/console")